Marc Linger named boys' Athlete of the Week

Very few runners decided to steal on senior catcher Marc Linger.

All they needed to do was watch him snap the practice throw down to second base during warmups. And most runners found it best to take short leads, because Linger wouldn't hesitate to throw behind a surprised base runner in hopes of catching him napping.

It was a game of cat and mouse that had him smiling behind the catcher's mask.

But the thing that had Linger smiling the most, was the outcome of his final high school baseball season, helping his team to three championships, including the county and Group 3 state titles. It was an unexpected dream come true.

"It hasn't settled in yet," said Linger. "I've received a lot of congratulations on it and it feels weird, because coming up through the ranks, we always heard the names of (Andrew) Ciencin and the rest of the guys, and we thought, those guys are great players, we never thought we'd get there,  but I guess we did."

And while Linger enjoyed throwing runners out, his most important job was handling the pitchers. Pat Gilstrap and Nick Cook led the seniors on the staff, but it was the young guns named Kurt Rutmayer and Ryan Williamson who stepped in to help in key spots throughout the season.

"I think the role I put in was that I was the major defensive statement behind the plate. I was able to throw out runners. I was able to block the ball, frame the ball well. I was really able to be a safe and reliable catcher behind the plate."

Linger credits much of his success to hard work and having quick feet.

"Ulitimately I think it's quick feet," noted Linger. "I know a lot of people talk about having the strongest arm out there, and you do have to have a good arm, but to another degree you do have to have quick feet. It come into play when you're blocking the ball, throwing the ball, and you have to have a very quick release. If you're sluggish behind the plate, you're going to have a tough time blocking baseballs, and a tough time throwing guys out."

Linger was a former infielder heading into high school before putting the mask on, and four years later, will go on to play in college at Lawrence University in Appleton Wisconsin.

For college, I'm slated to catch. I'm going to have to fight for position just like any other freshman. But I know definitely in talking to coach, he was thrilled with how I did this season. I'm definitely going to be more of a defensive catcher, and I'm aware of that. I know I'm not a strong hitter, but going into college, I've always done well catching  whatever team I've played on. I think that will carry over right into college."